It was Alfie Doodle’s Dad’s Birthday so we packed the Landy and spent a few days in the Lake District. It’s one of our favourite places to visit in the UK and is super dog-friendly. In terms of nice hotels to stay, great walks to enjoy and delicious places to dine out, it’s pretty hard to beat.
We started our trip with a visit to the dog-friendly Highwayman Inn near Kirkby Lonsdale. We scoffed a fantastic Sunday roast with all the trimmings. This was followed by some pretty special puds (my favourite part of the meal is the dessert!). From there, we then headed into Kirkby Lonsdale, which we had never visited before. There are lots of independent shops and all were very dog friendly. From there we headed up to the Lakes…
Highlights of our Lake District trip
The Forest Side Hotel
Lee, Alfie and I are regulars at The Forest Side hotel in Grasmere, so this was our base for a couple of nights. It doesn’t look like the type of hotel that will accept dogs, with it’s beautiful plush rooms, but they couldn’t be more welcoming. They even provide a doggie bed, towel, bowls and treats in the room. If you are into your fine dining, the hotel also boasts a Michelin star restaurant.
The Coffin Route
We really enjoy exploring walking options when we visit the Lake District. Thanks to Beatrix Potter, a lot of land is owned by the National Trust, so there is plenty of choice. Alfie Doodle would now struggle tackling some of the bigger Fells. However, there are so many alternatives that we can enjoy together. One of our favourite walks is the Coffin Route, which is an old corpse road used in medieval times to carry the dead to the consecrated ground at St Oswalds in Grasmere for burial. We start in Grasmere and then head towards Ambleside via Rydal Water, which is approximately six miles in total.
The Copper Pot, Ambleside
Once we reached Ambleside, we had built up our appetite sufficiently to stop for some lunch. Our dog-friendly recommendation is the family-run Copper Pot cafe. The meals here are superb and the cakes are absolutely scrumptious! We have been several times over the last few years. The food is fab, the service is friendly and Alfie Doodle can join us. After we had re-fuelled we jumped on the top deck of the bus to get back to our hotel.
The Yan, Grasmere
We decided to try out a new dog-friendly hotel, which was recommended on the Sawdays site. The Yan is run by Jess and her husband Will with Jess’ Mum and Dad involved too. It is a proper family-run affair. It’s described as a Bistro with Beds and has just been voted one of the top 100 places to stay in the UK by the Sunday Times! The room was modern and comfortable and the Bistro was outstanding. Lee and I enjoyed a delicious evening meal and some really good hearty breakfasts during our stay. We will be going back…
Castle Crag
We discovered a great new walk to Castle Crag, which is near to Keswick. This is the smallest hill included in Alfred Wainwright’s Influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. It is the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet. It might be small compared to some of the other peaks, but it certainly packs a punch in terms of the wonderful scenery. We checked our route using the book ‘Countryside Dog Walks, Lake District North’ by Wetnose Publishing. This company does a really good range of books with recommendations for dog-friendly walks.
Bodnant Gardens
Once we had finished our few days in the Lake District, we headed back to blighty via a walk in Bodnant Gardens. The gardens are now dog friendly, all-day, everyday until the end of March – hurray! We took a picnic and found our favourite bench to take in all the beautiful Autumnal colours. The perfect end to a most relaxing few days away.
Let me know what you think…
If you are also a fan of the Lake District, I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any dog-friendly recommendations for staying or eating? Please do get in touch as it’s always great to try somewhere new! You can Contact Me through the website or get in touch via my social media pages @adogloversdream on Instagram and Facebook.